Tag: shortfalls

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Unraveled at the Feet of Jesus

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Trying to find a biblical family in the scripture to model your family after is next to impossible. Dysfunction doesn’t even begin to describe it. From the beginning it was filled with disobedience, betrayal and murder. So it should not come as a surprise that our own families are so messed up today, and yet when it happens we’re shocked. And when you couple the fact that those stories of dysfunction were within God’s chosen leaders of the day, who weren’t perfect, but their relationship with the Lord was to be desired; what does that say about us? Few of us have a relationship with the Lord that’s as tightly knit. So we unravel… and our family isn’t what we envisioned, and neither are we.

I can write from the heart of dysfunction. If God were still adding text to the Bible (and He’s not by the way), but if He were, there could likely be the book of Shari. Perhaps many sermons would be preached from my text with a title like “The Diva of Dysfunction.” There likely would not be the intrigue as many books of the Bible entail, but there would be comedy and chaos, heartache and hindrances to the will of God, fractured moments and failed missions. Several trips to the wood shed for certain. But… in the midst of it all you’d find Mercy. And me at His feet… unraveled.

From Heaven I have a feeling my life looks like a tangled mess of God’s intentions. Maybe yours does too. We have to remember that regardless of what we do, God does see the other side.

  • Poor decisions can take us down a wrong path. And though the distance is rougher and longer, God can still bring us to His intended spot.
  • Broken relations were not His plan, but the healing that He provides can make you stronger and more appreciative of the unbroken.
  • Finances may not be your forte, (it’s not mine) but by giving back to Him what we were entrusted with, perhaps that seed will take root and grow in ways we can’t even imagine. Or He may just give us contentment… and that’s okay too.
  • Sometimes family is the tie that binds, and sometimes it’s the tie that gags, but it’s the foundation of the gospel. We are the family of God. And if He can put up with our shenanigans do we not owe our family the same. A man who sought God’s wisdom ask his counselor “When can I stop caring.” The counselor’s reply was “When God does.”

If I wrote an exhaustive list of dysfunctions you wouldn’t take the time to read my blog. So let’s put it like this. You fill in the blank. “Dear God, ________________ is unraveling in my life. And I need you to knit it back together.”

Scripture says in Colossians 2:2 ~ That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

We don’t know the end of our story. But we can be comforted in the knowledge that we are loved and that God’s plan is still on track. That tangled mess that we see, will one day be a viewed as a beautiful tapestry …or perhaps a cable knit sweater.

I hope today finds your life at peace, and wrapped up in the love of God

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Abbreviated Faith

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I am forever looking for a shorter way to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, whether it be in a car trip or on a project, there has to be a shorter method. This has often lead to disappointing results. A well-intended GPS route ended at a cow path in the middle of Marshall County, West Virginia and a four hour delay; craft project short cuts have ended in disaster; and my mandolin playing skills have suffered because I’ve found an abbreviated version of chording using only two fingers instead of four. What can I say? I’m good at finding shortcuts! But there is one regard for which I do not want to fall short on and that is my service to the Lord.

Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

We all fall short, I’m not expecting perfection; nor should you. But there are some expectations we should have.

We should expect Glorification of the Father

Philippians 1:20

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death

As I said, I know I’ll fail. I’ve barely started the day and my thoughts went places they shouldn’t have gone, I’ve been frustrated about circumstance that I know God has control over, and yet, I’m still expecting God to receive glory from me today. I expect it because I’ve seen God use me time and time again undeservedly all because I’m willing. Not worthy, just willing. So today you and I should both expect with great anticipation that God is going to open up a door that will allow Him to receive glory because we’re willing to walk through it. Amen? Amen!

We should expect Grace of the Father

Acts 12:11

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

I’ve lost count of enemies and friend-imies. Satan will use people that you would have never expected to come against you to tear you down, and often time in the church! I’ll be shocked one minute and then in my heart I have to say “yep, I should have seen that coming.” And sometimes I’m my own worst enemy. But the great thing is, I serve the God of all grace! I’ve been delivered so many times that I, like Peter, can say, “Yep! The Lord did that!” Otherwise I’d have been in a pickle! Don’t be shocked by grace, expect it! Not in arrogance but in the humility that if we stay on Faith Road, we’ll get to the destination that God intended. Which brings me to my final point.

We should expect Guidance of the Father

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Nothing in our life catches God off guard, as a matter of fact He may have put something in our life that we think is going to be our destruction and it ends up being a great blessing. Take a look at the life of Job. God set him up! Satan did not come up with the idea to attack Job; no, it was the other way around!  “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job.” (Job 1:8) So what do you do when God is the one Who has you between the rock and the hard place? You trust that God is the Rock, and you’ve been guided to the hard place for a purpose. You expect what God expects, Peace.

I don’t know what exactly is in store for Shari. But I know Who knows.  So today I have some great expectations, because I serve a great God! Keep serving! child of God. There’s no short cut to God’s design for our life. Live with Expectation!

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When shortfalls become long falls…

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Genesis 28:11-19
The story goes that Jacob, the grandson of the friend of God, Abraham is quite the deceiver. He takes advantage of his brother Esau and takes his birthright, and then later his blessing and inheritance by deceiving his father Isaac in his old age, and for his own safety is sent away to find a good woman in his mother’s homeland. But God did not allow Jacob’s deception to disrupt His destiny.
Genesis 28:15 ~ And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
That ought to put a shout you! But, maybe you’re not as messed up as I am. Possibly you haven’t made a million wrong decisions, or failed God the way I have. But if you have, then you understand the significance of this story. God takes care of His own, in spite of their shortfalls, or in my case “long falls.”
God spoke the words to Jacob in a dream as he lay his head upon a rock for pillow. He later took his pillow and made a pillar anointing it with oil as an altar to The Lord in gratitude for the Lord’s faithfulness. Jacob knew he didn’t deserve the blessings that were about to come his way, nor do we deserve what God has in store for us, and yet it’s there.
Last night in the teen class we had a long discussion about our shortfalls for Christ and the guilt that we place upon ourselves, often to the point of detriment by allowing it to put us into a state of depression or unworthiness. There is no doubt that when Jacob left his home he was not only feeling fear for his life, but guilt for his living. He may have thought that through his actions he had destroyed the hope of Israel. But the ladder is Jacob’s vision in verses 12-13 shows God standing above it and angels ascending and descending on it. God’s ways are high above our ways, and while we are messing things up down here, God and His host of angels are taking care of business on high and our destiny will be fulfilled.
God’s got a plan for his children and although our mistakes break His heart, they don’t break His covenant with us, God is so much bigger than that.
Take heart dear friends, if you’re feeling less than deserving of the grace of God. He’s standing on the ladder that He has every intention of seeing us climb. Spiritually and positionally in life. Stay faithful! and take the time to show your gratitude throughout the day.
Be blessed! and bless me with your comment if this spoke to your soul today.